Refresco Starts 8.5-MWp Bridgwater Roof Array in 21.5-MWp UK Rollout

• Refresco has started building an 8.5-MWp solar array on the roof of its Bridgwater factory in Somerset.
• It is the largest of four rooftop systems, 21.5 MWp in total, that GB NRG is building for the drinks maker in the UK.
• Zestec, owned by Octopus Energy Generation funds, will finance and run the arrays and sell the power under long-term PPAs.

Refresco has started installing an 8.5-megawatt-peak solar array on the roof of its drinks factory in Bridgwater, Somerset. It is the largest part of a 21.5-MWp programme across four of the company's UK manufacturing sites. Installer GB NRG published the announcement on Oct. 28 with Refresco and Zestec Renewable Energy.

The companies expect the Bridgwater system to become the UK's largest solar array on a single continuous roof. It will use more than 18,000 modules and should generate about 7.5 GWh a year, or around 17% of the site's annual electricity demand. Installation is well underway, GB NRG said. No completion date was given.

Refresco, a Rotterdam-based bottler for drinks brands and retailers with 85 production sites in 14 countries, chose GB NRG after a tender involving 12 commercial solar providers. GB NRG will develop, design and build all four systems. It also ran a second tender on Refresco's behalf to find a funder, which Zestec won.

Zestec, owned by funds managed by Octopus Energy Generation, will fund and manage the arrays over the long term and sell the output to Refresco under long-term power purchase agreements. The model lets businesses use their roofs for solar without upfront capital, Zestec Chief Operating Officer Toby Smith said.

The rollout in numbers

• 21.5 MWp of commercial rooftop solar across four Refresco factories in the UK.
• 40% of the programme sits on the single Bridgwater roof (list.solar calculation).
• 13 MWp is left for the other three sites, about 4.3 MWp each on average (list.solar calculation).
• About 880 kWh a year per kWp installed, based on the expected 7.5 GWh from 8.5 MWp (list.solar calculation).
• About 44 GWh a year: the Bridgwater site's implied electricity use, if 7.5 GWh covers 17% of it (list.solar calculation).
• 2.1 GW of solar PV was added in the UK in the year to the second quarter of 2026, according to the government's Energy Trends report.

The Bridgwater plant runs around the clock, so the roof has to be fitted without stopping production. GB NRG said its design keeps the lines running and protects the roof structure during construction.

James Logan, managing director of Refresco UK, said the programme would cut the factories' reliance on grid electricity and help customers deal with emissions in their supply chains. The companies have not named the other three sites or said when they will be built.